tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8533587790761329822024-03-05T23:01:55.409-08:00The $3,000 Play Productionthe story of a play in verse at the Hollywood Fringe FestivalRachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-79144289159574022402010-05-27T20:57:00.000-07:002010-05-27T21:06:30.422-07:00Press and Ticket Sales!I know it's been over a month. Things have been really busy but in a good way. In the last month we've gotten some articles written about us. One is from a local Santa Clarita art blog, Proxart. They're good people and they wrote <a href="http://proxart.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/valentino-at-the-hollywood-fringe/"> this article about us </a>. Also LA aggregate review/theatre site Bitter Lemons wrote about us <a href="http://bitter-lemons.com/2010/05/fringe-benefits-valentino-a-play-in-verse-kill-your-television-a-play-in-tv/"> here</a>.<br /><br />It's all sorts of exciting. I just hosted an informal mixer for shows at the fringe and you can read about that more over at Friends Like These's blog <a href="http://www.theatreunleashed.com/friendslikethese/behind-the-curtain/65-mixin-it-up.html"> here</a>. It's been great and we're three weeks out from opening.<br /><br />Our costumes are also awesome. So much to talk about. I promise to update again this weekend!<br /><br />Tickets are on sale too. Check out<a href="www.valentinoplay.com"> www.valentinoplay.com</a> for more info!Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-743499695913681672010-04-20T07:51:00.000-07:002010-05-28T15:20:16.478-07:00Budget Update (57 Days to Go)It took me about a week to finally get around to updating the budget and budget projections. Since we are still trying to run this show under $3,000 it is important that I keep it updated and on track.<br /><br />This is about what we've spent so far:<br />$1500 Rent at The Complex<br />$200 Fringe Fees<br />$110 Quarter-Page advert<br />$150 Rent at Fringe Central for our FREE showcase<br />$10 Website domain name<br />$25 Business cards<br />$100 Misc. Meeting expenses<br />(TOTAL $2,095)<br /><br />We are committed to:<br />$200 Valet/Front Person for both weekends<br />$100 Banner for exterior and Post Cards<br />(TOTAL $2,395)<br /><br />According to these rough calculations we have about $600 left to spend. That number doesn't include the potential $200 back from our deposit at The Complex. I know for sure I want to put another $100 or so into marketing, which is our second largest expense after rent now. Costumes, gels, and rehearsal space are definitely on the "short list" of things we need to put money into. As of right now though it looks like we may come under budget.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-54902395398945349902010-04-18T07:52:00.000-07:002010-04-18T07:55:51.830-07:00Friends are AwesomeWhile sitting at breakfast with a friend yesterday, I was inevitably asked about the Valentino production. She had mentioned before that she wanted to help, but I wasn't quite sure what role she could fill. Volunteers are good, but they become even better once they start talking about their past tech-ing experience. So it looks like we found someone that's tech'd in the past and will be able to learn how to run the boards for our show. I'm very excited that this pressure is off of me and our stage manager.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-57671307696146770162010-04-15T15:04:00.001-07:002010-04-16T06:57:40.791-07:00Marketing Talk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/helevorn/Valentino-HFF2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 320px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/helevorn/Valentino-HFF2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />Above is the the image we will be using for most of our marketing. We did buy a quarter-page ad in the Fringe Guide and a very similar image will be used on the post cards that are soon to be printed out.<br /><br />I was in an online discussion at <a href="www.TheatreFace.com"> Theatre Face</a> earlier this week with established theater companies talking about how to market your show. The biggest word that came out of it was "Focus". The full transcript of the interview (and digression) is available to read <a href="http://www.theatreface.com/group/theatrefacechatinterviews/forum/topics/david-loehr-playwright"> here</a>. It's been nice seeing twitter reconnecting me to the theatre community here in Los Angeles and out in the rest of the community.<br /><br />The next step for marketing is the postcards, banner, and then the press kits. I am still putting together our press list and it looks like we will be designing electornic press kits for everyone.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-69736778999750557642010-04-15T14:50:00.000-07:002010-04-16T08:16:10.419-07:00FREE Showcase!The big announcement from the Valentino team is that we will be offering a free showcase of scenes from "Valentino: a play in verse" at Fringe Central on June 19th at 12:30pm. We've decided to direct some of our budget towards this project in order to generate some interest and offer something back to the community. <br /><br />We are very excited about this and are hoping to have a large turnout for this event. Fringe Central is located at Theatre of Arts Arena Stage, 1625 North Las Palmas, Hollywood.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-2695487986094212010-04-13T12:36:00.000-07:002010-04-13T12:38:14.616-07:00Exciting News!!There is some exciting news coming this week (hopefully) about the production.<br /><br />In other news, we've made some changes to the budget and rehearsals just started. Definately moving along!Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-52196708957111802482010-03-28T18:32:00.000-07:002010-03-28T18:38:05.036-07:00Read-Thru (79 Days)Today was really productive. The team came up with a mock advertisement for the Hollywood Fringe guide and we held a read through at some donated space. Yesterday I spent all day baking cookies for our actors today (Yummy). Here are some cookie and cast photos from where I was sitting:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8fcEZNc6BquY_wTeNW734AnwZ4vbs2WsynrXkutcWnCgE90SBHIRA3y0SS_zL_kam-i3OzvRYhKyzc8hkmeLGs1tECGjLBH1TnD8d9HiYn46Ob3wekOdrSX73oAq8H7KcXx6yTccZQU/s1600/IMG_3455.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8fcEZNc6BquY_wTeNW734AnwZ4vbs2WsynrXkutcWnCgE90SBHIRA3y0SS_zL_kam-i3OzvRYhKyzc8hkmeLGs1tECGjLBH1TnD8d9HiYn46Ob3wekOdrSX73oAq8H7KcXx6yTccZQU/s320/IMG_3455.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453863472462681842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEGMZiulX9pYfQHFgMQru_RyglX05L9gKJEvnN9VcIL3lxhXsYz3vCrYe9-GHZWXC4_v8OdxPeKiSPTZIpgOC6bwJ9c7eDNFQyN3n3EFS7c3fbWYsO-443WFG0en4_aGbChSfxoEmHFY/s1600/IMG_3454.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEGMZiulX9pYfQHFgMQru_RyglX05L9gKJEvnN9VcIL3lxhXsYz3vCrYe9-GHZWXC4_v8OdxPeKiSPTZIpgOC6bwJ9c7eDNFQyN3n3EFS7c3fbWYsO-443WFG0en4_aGbChSfxoEmHFY/s320/IMG_3454.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453863460367791586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8J2I5BICESf4Oe2Ae059p4tkiwqFpSeOR1FQypFuaOb8AekSSVYpQcQvbS4BTiATpx47aB2Amux0ZmQSZXxqvQj8Q-6Db73Md83BIx28FNEWqpMCNR3d-XEb8oHQnCGpBgPTta_TBy5A/s1600/IMG_3452.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8J2I5BICESf4Oe2Ae059p4tkiwqFpSeOR1FQypFuaOb8AekSSVYpQcQvbS4BTiATpx47aB2Amux0ZmQSZXxqvQj8Q-6Db73Md83BIx28FNEWqpMCNR3d-XEb8oHQnCGpBgPTta_TBy5A/s320/IMG_3452.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453863450018317410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qgfiRcESjbBXdERc8ZevZe07ds8b7lT1L1bL0JFnzNNFscVIDwpa_9jR9Kd-96LpxUqfyzj_djZxSZlux4qbA6QJI9cOqewbZrmx_uQzzBq0-4ZLJOZ-aXhXZSWhLM3GIyPPLvitFe4/s1600/IMG_3451.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qgfiRcESjbBXdERc8ZevZe07ds8b7lT1L1bL0JFnzNNFscVIDwpa_9jR9Kd-96LpxUqfyzj_djZxSZlux4qbA6QJI9cOqewbZrmx_uQzzBq0-4ZLJOZ-aXhXZSWhLM3GIyPPLvitFe4/s320/IMG_3451.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453863442756459970" /></a>Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-63824345380759831752010-03-27T13:44:00.000-07:002010-03-27T13:57:14.600-07:00Budget Meeting (81 days to go)Since we have 81 days to go and a read-thru tomorrow, it was time for a budget meeting. At present we've spent or have committed around $1,850. This includes the $1500 for the space, $200 for festival fees, and $150 mostly in marketing and miscellaneous expenses. With a little over a thousand to spend, topics like costuming budgets and buying rehearsal time had to be discussed and resolved. After a productive meeting this is what our (just under) $3,000 production is going to look like:<br /><br /><blockquote>$1500 (Space Rental)<br />$200 (Fringe Fees)<br />$150 (Spent misc and marketing)<br />$200 (Rehearsal Space - 10 hours)<br />$150 (Cast Party)<br />$20 (Gel for the lights)<br />$200 (Marketing: adverts and lobby cards)<br />$250 (Costumes)<br />----------------------------------<br />$2,670 <br /></blockquote><br /><br />Although we haven't budgeted the whole $3,000 we also know that if we budget at around $2500 we will end up spending closer to $3,000. Which is what we have done. Something always comes up and maybe we'll find an awesome Pope costume that we can't pass up. Never know what's going to happen, and that always is exciting.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-214063271815434262010-03-26T10:25:00.000-07:002010-03-26T12:17:11.759-07:0082 Days LeftThe production meeting last weekend was super productive and everyone felt good about it. Our stage manager helped us put together a reasonable rehersal schedule, along with breaking the rehersals into smaller groups. Since we have a cast of fourteen (mostly men) scheduling and having that many people in our apartment are both very real challenges.
<br />
<br />There is read-thru scheduled this weekend and we are lucky enough to have one of our actors (who is a highschool drama teacher) offer some space for everyone. Set up the online group for managing rehersals this week and finally got around to ordering business cards for David and I. Casting is almost done and we are excitedly moving forward.
<br />
<br />Looking forward to the next Hollywood Fringe town hall and mixer on April 5th!Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-7201182477043171992010-03-17T10:31:00.000-07:002010-03-18T09:48:17.589-07:00March UpdateIt's been about a month since we've signed out contract with The Complex for the Flight space. With 49 seats and eight nights we are very happy. Here are some photos of the exterior and the seats:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigH958hav1NAS7URFPrh4eIAYGssWoYCqcCniRxQohxQ0dpLQyaX7YQwvMONceKEH0Jy4bY6hS5hklWRk8xhXqWVruhyv0VJvZC0l7H_RkdBzeZfvcLP6_w0ykTmqpAUZOnffJTAe1TZY/s1600-h/inside.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449657238241340050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigH958hav1NAS7URFPrh4eIAYGssWoYCqcCniRxQohxQ0dpLQyaX7YQwvMONceKEH0Jy4bY6hS5hklWRk8xhXqWVruhyv0VJvZC0l7H_RkdBzeZfvcLP6_w0ykTmqpAUZOnffJTAe1TZY/s320/inside.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdpO0ItQIvzSMPeOA7MSueMT1VMsYimBJVxmtYmGIcd3lRYTC9vQchIOLtKH5TqZ7lfsmc53BlATR71zwPHbWbFnZlxA-rHelrhX32jx530Bfjslohi0ODw_QMSaiDSBY76iIjy2iKEw/s1600-h/outside2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449657255078349218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdpO0ItQIvzSMPeOA7MSueMT1VMsYimBJVxmtYmGIcd3lRYTC9vQchIOLtKH5TqZ7lfsmc53BlATR71zwPHbWbFnZlxA-rHelrhX32jx530Bfjslohi0ODw_QMSaiDSBY76iIjy2iKEw/s320/outside2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjK2NZArHl3Q9N_x6v9ilhcM-hsnA9Soz2CBgqaCLKnubkdRZZsZ_Y5mbB4IDdvddM3kQURENwndwUQrokYxbaq4enMakXlZnKUJxBscZKxdrPvvpwJrWMW9SqfyKg_LHwimBJLH3YNE/s1600-h/outside.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigH958hav1NAS7URFPrh4eIAYGssWoYCqcCniRxQohxQ0dpLQyaX7YQwvMONceKEH0Jy4bY6hS5hklWRk8xhXqWVruhyv0VJvZC0l7H_RkdBzeZfvcLP6_w0ykTmqpAUZOnffJTAe1TZY/s1600-h/inside.jpg"></a><br /><p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We are under 100 days to production and have done one read-thru. Working on getting our casting finalized. In terms of money we haven't really spent much. Ordering business cards this week and hopefully lobby cards for next month. The majority of our budget is actually the space itself. We haven't even started costumes though, and a cast party was also recently brought up in our budget talks.<br /><br />More updates to come soon. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigH958hav1NAS7URFPrh4eIAYGssWoYCqcCniRxQohxQ0dpLQyaX7YQwvMONceKEH0Jy4bY6hS5hklWRk8xhXqWVruhyv0VJvZC0l7H_RkdBzeZfvcLP6_w0ykTmqpAUZOnffJTAe1TZY/s1600-h/inside.jpg"></a>Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-34457336368007836892010-02-17T09:16:00.000-08:002010-02-17T09:24:10.974-08:00Money UpdatesSo now that we've locked down a space for our production at The Complex, I can disclose some of the details. Space rental was the majority of our expense. Currently this is what our outgoing cash flow looks like:<br /><br />$1,500 : space for 8 nights, rehersal hours, insurance and $200 deposit<br />$200: Hollywood Fringe Fees<br />$200: Fees for valet/box office at theater<br /><br />Right now we're looking at $1,900 and around $2,000 once I factor in some of the food, parking, and meetings we've had. Not too bad. With another $1,000 to spend, we should be fine. This last $1,000 will be marketing and costumes.<br /><br />Our space is the Flight Theatre which was 49 seats. We should be able to break even at 60% capacity with ticket prices at $15. Details to follow.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-3583949505734278012010-01-05T18:38:00.000-08:002010-01-05T18:44:16.780-08:00We're doing it Right! MostlyD forwarded me <a href="http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2009/12/10-simple-steps-to-start-internet-marketing-your-show.html"> this blog post from The Producer's Perspective</a> site which talks about all the different ways to effectively market your show. We're doing most of them, and I'm pretty proud since I've never taken a marketing or business class.<br /><br /><blockquote>1. Buy Your Domain Name<br /><br />You've heard me say this before, but this is the most important thing you can do when you start plans for a show. As soon as you have an idea, make sure you snatch up the domain, because if you don't, someone else will. Use a site like GoDaddy that sells domains and hosts websites, so you can buy and build in the same place. And get a starter site for your show up as fast as you can. It doesn't matter if you don't have all the relevant info yet. The sooner you can put up your site, the sooner it will show up in search engines, and that means free traffic. <br /><br />2. Know SEO<br /><br />SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is one of the most important things you can learn about internet marketing. Do it right, and you'll stand out like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput. Ignore it, and you'll fall to the bottom of the web sea. What you should know is that as technical as it sounds (why are all acronyms scary?), there are basic strategies that are very simple, so don't be scared. Pick up a book and get started. <br /><br />3. Build Your List<br /><br />I've spoken on three internet marketing panels in the last six months and in the wrap up section one panelist always said, "The most important thing a web marketer can do is increase the quantity and the quality of his/her opt-in list." Email Marketing allows you to build relationships with fans, promote your show, sell tickets and more. Put a sign-up box on your website to collect email addresses, and send occasional emails to your list with information and updates about your show to keep them engaged. Use a company like Benchmark to make it easier for you (Constant Contact is so 2005). <br /><br />4. Invest in PPC<br /><br />PPC, or Pay-Per-Click Advertising, is one of the most economical and low-risk ways for you to reach customers. If you aren’t yet ranking high in Google organic search results (and even if you are), pay-per-click advertising gives you a way to appear alongside the sites that are. Don't have a lot of cash to spend? Don't worry, Google Adwords and other PPCers let you set a cap on how much you want to spend per day. Tip: PPC works best when you have a very specific target demographic (e.g. bachelorette parties for The Awesome 80s Prom). PPC can get pretty involved when you start talking Quality Scores, etc., but it's worth learning, because it can put butts in the seats and bucks in the box office fast.<br /><br />5. Be Social.<br /><br />Create profiles for your show on social networking sites, like BroadwaySpace, Facebook, and Youtube (if you have video content). Your presence on social media sites may or may not help you sell tickets right away, but if that's where your audience hangs out, your show should, too. Make sure you keep these sites filled with content. No one likes an outdated social networking page. It's like the guy on your block who never cuts his lawn.<br /><br />6. Tie Your Sites Together With Twitter. <br /><br />Twitter is the twine of social media. By using this microblogging site you can quickly communicate with all your fans. You can also find new ones by prowling the Twitterverse searching for keywords that fit your show (doing Romeo and Juliet? Look for people tweeting "Shakespeare"). Once you have them in your world, use Twitter to point people to your website, social networking pages, or blog posts.<br /><br />7. Blog. <br /><br />In addition to providing you with another channel to interact with your audience, blogs are search engine magnets. Pick a topic, sign up to a blog site like Typepad, and start blogging. Keep SEO strategies in mind as you go. Oh, and remember one thing. Before you start, eat your fiber. Your blog doesn't have to be updated hourly or daily, but it does have to be regular. Think of it like a daytime talk show. Every day, same time, same network . . . yours.<br /><br />8. Be Your Own Press Agent.<br />Write and publish articles and press releases about your own shows. Publish your stuff with sites like GoArticles or EzineArticles, and take it to the next level with a site like PRWEB. <br /><br />9. Analyze This!<br />The #1 rule of marketing is to test and then test again. Just like in grade school, you didn't know how you were doing until you saw your report card, right? Get your web report card by signing up for Google Analytics. <br /><br />10. Be Submissive. <br /> If you've got a new site, take the time to submit it to search engines.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />The only thing we are not doing is paying for advertisement. While this may come up later we don't have the budget for it. Anything free online we are doing. I'm actually about to start working on some of the graphic design stuff for the shirts, postcards, and hopefully the press packets.<br /><br />I did do a soft re-launch of the website over the weekend. <a href="http://www.valentinoplay.com"> It needs some work</a> and I'm bored with the design, but the info is there and it's an improvement over D's site and over having nothing.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-24084829852766845702010-01-02T10:35:00.001-08:002010-01-02T10:35:55.286-08:00Website RedesignRelaunch this weekend. Fingers crossed.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-68155633645402480702009-12-20T19:05:00.000-08:002009-12-20T19:06:20.431-08:00Website: Under ConstructionHey. We totally have a website <a href="http://valentinoplay.com/home.html"> Right here!</a><br /><br />Well isn't that awesome?Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-26319792454886606562009-12-20T13:25:00.000-08:002009-12-20T13:35:04.477-08:00Website and Graphic DesignGrabbed the new domain for Valentino last night so that should be up and running by the end of the year. While I used to do graphic design and web design on the side, we're looking at tapping some of our artist friends to do all the graphic design required for the shirts, postcards, logos, etc. It's a lot of work and since I've been out of that "world" for a long time, I don't even have photoshop anymore. Seriously.<br /><br />Hoping that someone will owe one of us a favor or will be willing to do it for credit only. One of the best things about living in LA and knowing a lot of people is that there are enough people more than happy to work for free in order to get some credit and get their name out there. Oh fame whoring.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-19492664786252305792009-12-16T20:57:00.000-08:002009-12-16T21:28:42.379-08:00Marketing StrategyA $500 marketing budget isn't really much. Especially when you consider that $200 of that is going to the <a href="http://www.hollywoodfringe.org"> Hollywood Fringe</a> as a marketing fee so that the play gets put into the program, etc. So with about $300 left this is how I'm going to approach it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">This is what we're doing currently:</span><br />- Facebook Page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hollywood-CA/Valentino-a-play-in-verse/210005228335?ref=ts"> [Link]</a><br />- 140 Days of Valentino, on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/valentinoplay"> [Link] </a><br />- Existing Website <a href="http://www.davidwisehart.com/valentino.html"> [Link] </a><br />- Fringe Project Page <a href="http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/project/view/34"> [Link]</a><br />- Not Another Guide LA Fringe Guide <a href="http://www.notanotherguide.com/component/sobi2/?sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=59"> [Link]</a><br />- Word of Mouth<br /><br />Mostly what we currently have started is an online thing. Which is working fine for now since we are in the preliminary stages of doing this thing. All the things above are free, and there are some other sites we are thinking of connecting on so that we can reach out to a larger LA Theater audience.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />This is what's coming up:</span><br />- $10 - we decided to pick up a new domain for the play. Luckily in my spare time I do web design so we're just paying for the fees. Really anyone with some computer savvy can put up a site now a days.<br />- $100 - Postcards: These are cheap and effective and we can pass them out at the fringe and put them in local theaters up until then. Online printing options have 1,000 cards for as cheap as $60, but I'm getting quotes from local shops too.<br />- $100 - Cast T-Shirts: Once the show is over many productions do shirts, we're going to do them ahead of time so that our cast can wear them and pimp them. We have a cast of 14 and hopefully this will be enough financially.<br />- $90 - Press Kits: Whatever is left over will go into press kit resources. I'm sorta crafty and hopefully we can do this on the cheap<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Conclusions...</span><br />The website redesign will be ready for the first (fingers crossed) and all the other design stuff will follow. I'm hoping to do this all for under $500. I will keep you posted.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-76840355048754297232009-12-15T10:15:00.000-08:002009-12-15T10:17:36.597-08:00"The" BudgetThis is how I'm hoping the money will end up breaking down:<br /><br />$500 Marketing<br />$500 Costumes<br />$1500 Rental Space<br />$500 Misc: Food/Rehersal<br /><br />The advantage of doing this for the Fringe is that the spaces will be discounted. We're hoping to do 4-8 performances over a two weekend run.<br /><br />I actually came up with a real marketing plan yesterday. But I will post it later.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-853358779076132982.post-53414118678423923062009-12-12T19:43:00.000-08:002009-12-12T19:48:42.847-08:00The Premise<a href="http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/"> The Hollywood Fringe Festival</a> is happening next June, and I was invited on to handle the financial side of my significant other's play <a href="http://www.davidwisehart.com/valentino.html"> Valentino: a play in verse</a>. Since we don't want to lose our shirts or my graduate school money putting on this production, we've committed to a budget of only $3,000. This is to include the rental and rehearsal space, costumes, tech, and everything else.<br /><br />I will be blogging our expenses weekly, and hopefully we'll be able to break even with ticket sales. Hopefully this blog will help other writers and producers put on interesting and unique productions on smaller budgets.<br /><br />So, here we go.Rachel Stollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17760489317770306841noreply@blogger.com0